# After 85 years of USA Made, Craftsman hand tools now Chinese **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [January 13, 2012, 11:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730 "2012-01-13T11:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TradersBASE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tradersbase/32/5321_2.png) [@TradersBASE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TradersBASE)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/21 "2012-01-13T14:31:55Z")
> [@boardjnky4](#): > > They can surpass us in making shit (maybe in volume, but not in quality), but they don’t have enough money to buy any of it for themselves. This is American pride talking. China isn’t the old POS trinket maker anymore. If it makes Americans feel better, and I assume it does based on how often I hear this stuff, have at it. Don’t fool yourself though, our “craftsmanship” is generally garbage and we are like the old Chinese “shit” makers in many sectors. Also watch and see how well we can “afford” to buy their “shit” when all our national borrowing, bailouts and wars catch up to us. The amount of latent inflation in the system will be crushing when it finally hits. ESPECIALLY with the elite wealthy failing to “trickle down” their wealth and create jobs here in the US. Trickle down loopholes and tax breaks should have been closed up once NAFTA was in place. You can’t give profiteers access to dirt cheap labor and expect them to keep paying American inflated wages. ---
**Author:** ![Motocrossx23](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/motocrossx23/32/5120_2.png) [@Motocrossx23](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Motocrossx23)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/22 "2012-01-13T14:36:23Z")
Fuck Sears. I love having my discount at work, Kobalt tools are actually awesome quality :tup: ---
**Author:** ![TradersBASE](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/tradersbase/32/5321_2.png) [@TradersBASE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TradersBASE)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/23 "2012-01-13T14:40:41Z")
Sears/Kmart seem about as good as gone. I think Best Buy and Barnes N’ Noble also may have some upcoming financial issues. This flushing out is good IF the government would just stop printing goddamn money and diluting the shit out of our spending power. Obama raising the debt ceiling 1.2 TRILLION further now. FUUUUUU Maybe I’ll go buy Kobalt instead of Craftsman…I’m in the market. I’m looking for an older Craftsman set but so far no dice. ---
**Author:** ![airhead](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/airhead/32/7471_2.png) [@airhead](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/airhead)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/24 "2012-01-13T15:18:52Z")
Looks like I’ll be buying more old Craftsman stuff at estate sales. I’ve bought ratchets for $2 each that were probably from the 50’s, and they always last forever. Their “rebuilt” replacement ratchets weren’t that great anyway, but I guess I can’t complain that they’ll give me one for free no matter how I abused the one I’m returning. ---
**Author:** ![face](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/face/32/5504_2.png) [@face](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/face)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/25 "2012-01-13T15:47:48Z")
[![](http://i42.tinypic.com/20a702q.jpg) ](http://i42.tinypic.com/20a702q.jpg) Broke this loosening a caliper bracket bolt, ratchet was maybe a year old or so? One of the dual 80 ratchets. Makes me wonder if this was made in China. ---
**Author:** ![BDR5oh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/bdr5oh/32/7315_2.png) [@BDR5oh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/BDR5oh)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/26 "2012-01-13T16:07:42Z")
> [@Freek](#): > > Most of my tools are snap-on or bluepoint. My biggest problem with this is I’m not a shop, nor do I work at one. Trying to get warranty work on my shit sucks. I have two MAC sockets I need to get warrantied and still ahve yet to find a guy to do it for me ( going on years now). ill also take care of those for ya … my guy comes on wed … pm me ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/blue_eyed_devil/32/7292_2.png) [@Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Blue_Eyed_Devil)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/27 "2012-01-13T16:10:45Z")
Snap on has been made in China for years. ---
**Author:** ![MIKE-240sx](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mike-240sx/32/5665_2.png) [@MIKE-240sx](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MIKE-240sx)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/28 "2012-01-13T16:44:35Z")
Snap on is the way to go. Your paying for something that last longer and tougher then craftsman stuff plus you dont really have to worry about making a trip back to warranty your tools when snap on comes to your shop ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/blue_eyed_devil/32/7292_2.png) [@Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Blue_Eyed_Devil)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/29 "2012-01-13T18:00:51Z")
I just paid $150 for a new snap on battery for my impact. No lifetime warranty on batteries. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![somedude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@somedude](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/somedude)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/30 "2012-01-13T19:33:23Z")
the one thing that many people don’t consider when buying tools is the hardware you don’t break when you buy good tools. torx, allen, screw heads. Good tools can make the difference between you popping something off really quick to being a real fucking whore when you strip your shit out because you bought lesser tools. It is not just about the tool breaking or not breaking but the hardware that good tools DON’T break Edit: I am so frustrated with craftsman tools breaking I stopped buying them a while ago. ---
**Author:** ![Jon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@Jon](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/31 "2012-01-13T20:58:23Z")
> [@TradersBASE](#): > > Sears/Kmart seem about as good as gone. I think Best Buy and Barnes N’ Noble also may have some upcoming financial issues. This flushing out is good IF the government would just stop printing goddamn money and diluting the shit out of our spending power. Obama raising the debt ceiling 1.2 TRILLION further now. FUUUUUU > > Maybe I’ll go buy Kobalt instead of Craftsman…I’m in the market. I’m looking for an older Craftsman set but so far no dice. Bingo,sears/kmart is trimming 120 stores this year (another ±6K jobs gone), I’ve always wondered how they survive even in this area,outdated,dirty and they rarely have good deals. Barnes and Noble is going to be downsized to a tiny shack that sells E-Readers and accessories, Best Buy already has vending machines dubbed as “Best Buy Express”,fully stocked with cameras,iphones,ipods…etc. Another thing that’s funny,I purchased a Rambo Survival Knife at Harbor Freight for $6 before christmas. Good quality,has a compass built in,really solid knife. Harbor Freight’s cost per knife is $.23. LOL ---
**Author:** ![sharpe\_corners](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/sharpe_corners/32/5767_2.png) [@sharpe\_corners](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/sharpe_corners)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 8:26am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/32 "2012-01-14T08:26:45Z")
^brian never posts unless full random ---
**Author:** ![mindless](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mindless/32/7286_2.png) [@mindless](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/mindless)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/33 "2012-01-14T11:16:55Z")
So does that mean i can now buy a craftsman ratchet that wont break the first time i use it? ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 11:18am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/34 "2012-01-14T11:18:09Z")
> [@mindless](#): > > So does that mean i can now buy a craftsman ratchet that wont break the first time i use it? Do Hondas beat Camaros at the track? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730/35 "2012-01-14T12:30:07Z")
> [@LZ](#): > > Do Hondas beat Camaros at the track? LOL I see what you did there [Previous page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/after-85-years-of-usa-made-craftsman-hand-tools-now-chinese/219730.md?page=1)